Off Topic The "Discuss Anything Else" Thread

We have the same problem here in Oz Swanny. The government mandates that certain "special" sporting events must be free to air. Things like the Melbourne Cup and the Bathurst 1000 etc are protected by what's known as the anti siphoning laws. They have to be left alone. But the government is loosening the hold on them, and heaps of stuff could end up on pay tv.

 

Oddy, will stick reply on PM

 

Listening to BBC 5 Live this morning, there was an interview with an endearing old man, talking about his retirement and telling a few anecdotes about his life. His father was a friend of Ian Fleming and one of the author’s most famous villains bears his name.

Time is a thief that never returns what he has stolen. His Old Father stands above Lord’s looking down on the cricket. For nearly fifty years listeners to Test Match Special also heard from this gent looking down on the ground about the London buses passing by, the seagulls stalking the outfield, the pigeons encroaching on the pitch and occasionally the cricket (who is that at third man?).

What are we going to do without ‘Blowers’? After the third Test against the West Indies, Henry Blofeld will hang up the microphone, TMS will lose some of its colour and the honours board will read “Blofeld not out 77”. My dear old things, all good things come to an end.

 

Blower's retirement marks an end to the TMS team that I grew up with. Car journeys with my ol man were tortuous as he'd listen to all sorts of ****e (I've since revised my opinion on a few of his choices but still can't abide trad jazz) with 2 exceptions; Sport on 4 (Tony Lewis and then Cliff Morgan) and the wonderful TMS. I think it was transmitted on Radio 4 long wave and the signal was often awful but it was brilliant. Not sure my mum or my siblings would agree but back then the ol man was the boss.

 

Ah, dear old Henry Blofeld. The one quote he made on the little BBC piece on him yesterday which I really enjoyed was, "There's just one type of person in this world who I hate, I mean really hate.," pause, for effect. "....and that is someone who wants to talk to you at breakfast"...

This is one posh guy I really loved, the quintessential cricket-loving English gentleman, who happened to be a world-class commentator too. Have a long and happy retirement Blowers, old lad, you've earned it!

 

10,000 old men in a field and one toilet – sounds like the Battle of Portaloo.

 

How sad is this?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-...le-dead-after-oil-tanker-ignites-fire/8650156

 

Just back from an extended stay in the TWO versions of Krakow.

Beautiful city with some delightful churches and general architecture to explore. Lots of references to John Paul II who was born about thirty miles away. Plus restaurants with amateur Chopin to accompany your very reasonably priced steak and chips. The old town (Stare Miasto) with the medieval square referenced below is extremely impressive. Other areas/highlights are The Jewish Quarter (where I enjoyed the finest panini with beef/tomatoes and BBQ sauce) and the banks of the River Vistula with both berthed boats and small craft for group hire.

Then there is the Krakow of Stag and Hen groups and other 'teams' (including mine) getting smashed out of their minds. Never seen so many attractive women of all ages in one place as the Stare Miasto which seems to be the the largest medieval square in Europe and the many side streets leading from the square.

Enjoyed three nights with family and friends then seven nights of debauchery on my own followed by six days of real exploration, culture and education.

Cannot wait for next year when I shall return for the set three nights with family and new friends.

 

"Google hit with record EU fine over 'Shopping' service":

http://www.dw.com/en/eu-slaps-google-with-record-fine/a-39432877

.........but will they pay-up? Google, Microsoft, Amazon, et al, have been making monkeys out of the whole of Europe (yes, QMII, this does include the UK) for far too long. I bet their greedy lawyers are wetting themselves over this one. ("Oh yes, your appeal will definitely have merit, most definitely!").

 

Excuse me, UK procedure experts, but how does one get a fast-track membership to this, what's it called, the House of Lords? I would like a non-executive membership, and sit next to Peer Michelle Mone. I mean, frigging stroll on!

 

SH; I would humbly suggest that, through your posts, my belief is that your political leanings would place you opposite 'Michelle frae Glesgae'.

 

I am sure that there was some intent at having a dig at me but I will have to go and figure it out...

Those big corporations have all been pulling a fast one when it comes to paying their taxes – you missed out Starbucks and the other frothy coffee merchants – aided and abetted by small nations like Ireland and Luxembourg. The EU could have cracked down on collusion by member states but why would former Luxembourg PM Jean-Claude Juncker want to strangle the golden goose back home?

Given that Google’s reported 2016 revenue was $89.5bn, I am sure they can find the small change down the back of the Mountain View sofa for a few lawyers to keep this one in the courts rather than pay the $2.7bn now. The EU will probably go bust long before Google.

 

Enjoy. Mute of you prefer

 

QM11: I did say 'et al' which is short for 'et alia' which means 'and others'. As for 'The EU will probably go bust long before Google', taking an awful long time but I guess you'll get your wish in the end. The Germans will be delighted to get their beloved Deutsche Mark back again, I can tell you. Like everyone else, I use Google , but, frankly, I detest some of their silly little antics on their website.

BK: Sorry I do not understand this Scottish vernacular you use. Was just a joke, as I have never seen a Peer like her in my life! As for my politics, guess I am a spinning top, if I could I would vote for Die Linke probably, they make more sense than these CDU/CSU clowns.

 

Must be one of the sexiest videos. My pause button took a bashing

 

I've just read an article on some research carried out by the University of Texas. They found that the presence of a smart phone can disrupt thinking even if the phone is turned off and out of sight. Students being tested for memory and focus, who left their phones on the desk scored a 10% lower score than those who left their phones in another room. Students who stored their phones in their bags or kept them in a pocket, scored better than those who kept them on the desk.

In high paced tests, those with a view of their phone were more sluggish in accomplishing the tasks. Why is all this happening? Well it seems that the reason for it, according to the report, is that your conscious mind isn't thinking about your smartphone, but that process - the process of requiring yourself not to think about something - uses up some of your limited cognitive resources. It's a brain drain.

It's now just a matter of time before someone links this stuff to the Rothschilds, the Illumanati and the lizard people.